United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights
Encyclopedia
The United Nations
Division for Palestinian
Rights (UNDPR) is a part of the Department of Political Affairs
of the United Nations Secretariat
.
The Division's mandate has been renewed annually and has been expanded several times over the years, in particular to include the organization of international meetings, the establishment of a computer-based information system called the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) and the holding of an annual training program for staff of the Palestinian Authority.
is observed annually to commemorate the adoption on November 29, 1947 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II), which provided for the partition of Palestine into two States
. The observance takes place at UN Headquarters in New York and at the UN Offices at Geneva and Vienna and elsewhere. The event includes meetings, Palestinian exhibits, film showings and other activities organized by governmental bodies and NGOs, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Centers.
, passed on November 10, 1975, on the same basis and on the same day as the Resolution 3379, which qualified Zionism
as a form of racism (later revoked by the Resolution 4686
).
In her June 21, 2004 speech at a Conference on Confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding sponsored by the United Nations Department of Information and in her articles , human rights scholar and activist Anne Bayefsky
, attending as representative of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, criticized the UN approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
, advocated the necessity of deep reforms within the UN
, and noted that the UNDPR is the only UN Division devoted to a single group of people and the annual UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is the only UN day dedicated to a specific people.
The event celebrating an annual "International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People" on November 29, 2005 was attended by Kofi Annan
and other high-ranking diplomats. In his January 3, 2006 letter to Mr. Annan, the US ambassador John Bolton
criticized the UN for promoting anti-Israel agenda and noted that the map prominently displayed at the event "erases the state of Israel".
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Division for Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Rights (UNDPR) is a part of the Department of Political Affairs
United Nations Department of Political Affairs
The United Nations Department of Political Affairs is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations with responsibility for monitoring and assessing global political developments and advising and assisting the United Nations Secretary General and his envoys in the peaceful prevention and...
of the United Nations Secretariat
United Nations Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for...
.
History
The UNDPR, originally named Special Unit on Palestinian Rights in the United Nations Secretariat, was created by the UNGA Resolution 3240 of December 2, 1977:- "Following the affirmation of the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment in 1975 of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian PeopleCommittee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian PeopleThe Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People was founded in 1975 by resolution 3376 of the United Nations General Assembly...
, the General Assembly recognized the need for creating an informed public opinion around the world in support of the achievement of those rights" in order "... to assist the Committee in its work and to prepare studies and publications on the issue and to promote maximum publicity for them."
The Division's mandate has been renewed annually and has been expanded several times over the years, in particular to include the organization of international meetings, the establishment of a computer-based information system called the United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL) and the holding of an annual training program for staff of the Palestinian Authority.
Activities
The core functions of the Division include:- Providing support and services for the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People
- Assisting the Committee in the exercise of its mandate and the promotion and implementation of its recommendations
- Planning, organizing and servicing the Committee's program of international meetings
- Maintaining liaison with active NGOs
- Organizing the annual commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian PeopleInternational Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian PeopleThe International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized observance. Events are held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as well as at United Nations offices at Geneva and Vienna....
- Preparing studies and publications "relating to the question of Palestine and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and promoting their widest possible dissemination, including in cooperation with the Department of Public Information"
- Maintaining and developing the Web-based United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine (UNISPAL).
Publications
The Division prepares the following publications on a regular basis:- A monthly bulletin on international action on the question of Palestine, containing resolutions, decisions and communiqués of the relevant United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies and agencies
- A periodic bulletin entitled Developments related to the Middle East Peace Process
- A monthly chronological summary of events based on press reports and other publicly available sources
- A special bulletin on the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
- An annual compilation of resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and the Security Council relating to the question of Palestine
Training programs
The Division has conducted an annual training program for staff of the Palestinian Authority since 1996. The program is carried out at United Nations Headquarters in New York in cooperation with the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations in conjunction with the convening of the General Assembly.International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian PeopleInternational Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized observance. Events are held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as well as at United Nations offices at Geneva and Vienna....
is observed annually to commemorate the adoption on November 29, 1947 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II), which provided for the partition of Palestine into two States
1947 UN Partition Plan
The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine was created by the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine in 1947 to replace the British Mandate for Palestine with "Independent Arab and Jewish States" and a "Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem" administered by the United...
. The observance takes place at UN Headquarters in New York and at the UN Offices at Geneva and Vienna and elsewhere. The event includes meetings, Palestinian exhibits, film showings and other activities organized by governmental bodies and NGOs, in cooperation with the United Nations Information Centers.
Criticism
The UNDPR was created according to the UNGA resolution 3376, passed on November 10, 1975, on the same basis and on the same day as the Resolution 3379, which qualified Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
as a form of racism (later revoked by the Resolution 4686
UN General Assembly Resolution 4686
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/86 passed on December 16, 1991, revoked Resolution 3379 with a vote of 111 to 25, with 13 abstentions....
).
In her June 21, 2004 speech at a Conference on Confronting anti-Semitism: Education for Tolerance and Understanding sponsored by the United Nations Department of Information and in her articles , human rights scholar and activist Anne Bayefsky
Anne Bayefsky
Anne Bayefsky is a human rights scholar and activist. She currently directs the Touro College Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and a barrister and solicitor, Ontario Bar. Her areas of expertise include international human rights law, equality...
, attending as representative of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, criticized the UN approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, advocated the necessity of deep reforms within the UN
Reform of the United Nations
Since the late 1990s there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations . However, there is little clarity or consensus about what reform might mean in practice. Both those who want the UN to play a greater role in world affairs and those who want its role confined to humanitarian work or...
, and noted that the UNDPR is the only UN Division devoted to a single group of people and the annual UN Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is the only UN day dedicated to a specific people.
The event celebrating an annual "International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People" on November 29, 2005 was attended by Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
and other high-ranking diplomats. In his January 3, 2006 letter to Mr. Annan, the US ambassador John Bolton
John R. Bolton
John Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
criticized the UN for promoting anti-Israel agenda and noted that the map prominently displayed at the event "erases the state of Israel".
See also
- Arab-Israeli conflict
- List of the UN resolutions concerning Israel and Palestine
- Israel and the United NationsIsrael and the United NationsIssues relating to the state of Israel, the Palestinian people and other aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict occupy a large amount of debate time, resolutions and resources at the United Nations....
- Reform of the United NationsReform of the United NationsSince the late 1990s there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations . However, there is little clarity or consensus about what reform might mean in practice. Both those who want the UN to play a greater role in world affairs and those who want its role confined to humanitarian work or...
External links
- Comparison of United Nations Member States' Language in Relation to Israel and Palestine as Evidenced by Resolutions in the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly August 2004 report (PDF). Accessed June 19, 2006